French Prime Minister talks about language, secularism, strong ties in Quebec, visits Montreal

MONTREAL – Quebec and France are united by a common language, culture and values, French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said in a speech to the province's legislature Thursday.

Attal said France wants to help Quebec defend the French language, and he praised Quebec's refusal to give up.

“Some may have thought that the French would disappear from the map of North America, they don't know Quebecers,” he said to applause from members of the national assembly.

During a three-day visit to Canada, Attal received a standing ovation from lawmakers when he voiced his support for state secularism.

Although some may say that state secularism is against religion or a form of discrimination, he said, “Our answer is that state secularism is a demand for freedom, equality and fraternity.”

Quebec and France also support individual liberties and freedom of speech, he said.

“If geography did not separate us, then nothing would happen, because nothing is possible,” he said.

35-year-old Attal, the youngest prime minister in French history, addressed the youth. The French explorers who mapped and settled what is now Quebec were young adventurers, he said, and praised the bravery of young Quebecers who fought to defend France in World Wars I and II.

The two nations are connected by their youth, Quebec youth study at a university in France and vice versa, he said. He said he wants Quebec and France to work together to tackle the biggest challenge facing today's youth: climate change.

Attal's speech was the first by a foreign leader in the provincial legislature since then-French President Francois Hollande addressed the national assembly in 2014. Attal's speech was also the first French prime minister to address the legislature since Laurent Fabius in 1984. Fabius was the youngest prime minister of France at the time.

Jacques Palard, honorary research director of France's National Research Center and Bordeaux Political Institute, said the visit was a sign of the French government's desire to strengthen relations with Quebec.

“It's a very important way to renew connections that have become somewhat obsolete,” he said in an interview.

This is Attal's first trip outside Europe since becoming prime minister in January, Palard said.

After a meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau earlier in the day, Attal said he supports a policy of “non-interference” and “indifference,” known as “ni-ni” for short in French. Sovereignty of Quebec.

The indifference has been shown, said Palar Attal, who is scheduled to meet with Quebec Premier Francois Legault on Thursday and Friday to address the legislature.

This is the first meeting between the Prime Minister of Quebec and the Prime Minister of France since 2018. The previous bilateral meeting scheduled for 2020 was cancelled.

“There will be no indifference and certainly no interference,” Palard said, adding that he does not expect Attal to support sovereignty and federalism.

The Ni-Ni policy has been the official French position since 1977 and changed the course of President Charles de Gaulle, who supported Quebec independence in 1967 with his “Vive le Quebec libre” speech in Montreal.

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, an outspoken supporter of a united Canada, scrapped the policy in 2008, and when his successor, François Hollande, returned to it, Palard said Hollande was not particularly interested in Quebec.

But Jeremy Cornuth, a political science professor at Simon Fraser University, said he doesn't think France has really returned to ni-ni policy, and that French-Canadian relations were once heavily influenced by each government's relationship with Quebec. Relations between Ottawa and Paris were now “normal”.

Quebec and Canada now have a parallel bilateral relationship with France, he said, but Quebec continues to have a special relationship with the country.

Attal goes to Montreal

Attal and Quebec Premier Francois Legault will attend several events in Quebec and Montreal on Friday.

Attal and Quebec Premier Francois Legault will hold a press conference and work session this morning in Quebec City around 10:30 a.m.

The French prime minister will also visit an elementary school in Quebec City and stop at the Quebec International Salon before heading to Montreal.

After arriving in Montreal, he will participate in an economic roundtable organized by the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Quebec Legault.

He will then participate in a panel hosted by the Montreal Chamber of Commerce.

This Canadian Press report was first published on April 11, 2024.

Jacob Serebrin, The Canadian Press